Life kinda puts you into pipelines. You enter one way and expect to eventually come out the other end another way. Like school for instance. You start high school or college a freshman and expect and work towards the goal of senior and graduation.

EMS is no different in that we also end up in a pipeline. However for many of us, we get stuck in it along with a lot of others making seeing and working towards that end, that goal much harder.

This weeks episode talks about this and gives some insight on getting out of the pipeline. More importantly how to be ready when that opening shows up.

Take a listen and be sure to click the Itunes button below and leave a quick rating or review.

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This week we talk about the part time EMS provider. The volunteer, the person who uses EMS as a part time income or because they enjoy the rush, the change from a desk job. Does this type of workforce help or hurt us as a profession? How does this demographic in EMS effect the supply and demand for employers?

How does this all translate to those of us who depend on EMS for our livelihood?

Take a listen as we are joined by guest David Brenner and leave your thoughts on our discussion in the comments below.

I think we can all agree that EMS is a tough job. Patients, family members, nurses, docs, police, fire, the UPS guy. All the things that can make our jobs easier or harder, depending on many variables.

Add to that what seems to be an often toxic work environment, its no wonder it gets to be a kill or be killed theme out there. Every man and woman for themselves.

So in this episode, we ask why are our work environments so toxic? What underlines the causes and what are some key things we can do as individuals and as a group to make things better?

Time again for another monthly Rapid Fire episode where we will discuss popular EMS articles and topics in the news, on the blogs and general webosphere. Now I didn’t get to all the topics I wanted but we did have a lively talk about being called an ambulance driver, uniforms, perception <– yes again, and being vocal about your EMS system.

If you’ve ever applied or know someone who has for a law enforcement or fire fighter position? You may have noticed that before you are hired for these jobs, you have to pass various evaluations. Everything from psychological to fitness and competency exams. While EMS may not have the same type of job skills that police or fire do, it certainly is a demanding job with all it’s own variables. Including being in the public trust. Yet there is often very little in the way of pre employment screening, physical or competency exams given to EMS providers before employment. It seems as long as there is a “pulse” that person can get hired and have access to all the equipment, vehicles and patients their heart desires.

What what your EMS employment process? Do you feel it is adequate or not enough? Listen to the show and be sure to leave your thoughts on this below.

A common point that gets brought up on Office Hours is how we “own” much of what we do. Often, our communication with each other as EMS providers and fellow health care professionals can cause issues in patient care, daily operations and even in a career. The first part in this series will discuss how paramedics communicate with each other. Come listen in on this episode for ideas on better communication, approaches to issues that arise on the job and how we can take some first steps to improve common communication issues for better patient care and beyond.

Have you ever felt like there may be things you can do to better EMS for yourself? Maybe even make an impact on the industry, however small? During this episode Jim plans on pointing out key things you can do to be a better EMS provider and advocate for the profession vs. what many providers actually do. There seems to be two separate plans. Which one are you following?

This video is a nice quick overview of the heart and talks about how implanted pacemakers and defibrillators work. Did you like this video? I have a great presentation you can get access to for free. “In The Field. Patients With Implanted Pacemakers and ICDs” Dr. Coman will discuss key elements in patients with pacemakers and […]

With 2017 coming to an end I thought it would be great to ask a few of the leading EMS professionals out there what they liked in 2017 and what they wanted to see more of in 2018. These were some great quick interviews and what these guys want to focus on may surprise you. […]

This is a quick review of common ECG rhythm strips that points out key features. Knowing what to look for will help you when you see that abnormal ECG. If you are on the fence when it comes to mastering basic ECG strips like these and advancing to more complicated rhythms. I think this ECG […]